The next stage of American democracy cannot be built on revenge.

And...it cannot be built on pretending nothing happened. Accountability matters.

The future of the United States cannot be built by dragging the country back into the same cage fight that got us here: left versus right, socialism versus capitalism, liberty versus equality, markets versus government.

That fight is theatrical. It is profitable. It fills cable news hours and fundraising emails. But it does not build strong...

Accountability is often misunderstood. It is not punishment, not the healthy kind.

It can include consequences. It should include consequences when people violate trust, abuse power, lie, steal, exploit, endanger others, or keep breaking commitments after every reasonable opportunity to adjust.

But accountability itself is not the firing squad. It is not revenge in a leadership costume. It is not public humiliation. It is not the strong crushing the weak because they can.

That is not...

Having experienced relationship rifts with family members, the question comes up why attempts at reconcilation rarely stick. I'm not saying, don't try, but we're dealing with an iceberg; surface issues and a whole lotta stuff waiting under the surface to poke a hole in the boat.

Here are the issues under the surface that lurk, waiting to sink your reconciliation boat.

1. The Reunion Becomes the Goal, Not the Repair

Families treat reconciliation like a destination rather than a process. The...